Forgiveness

For the believer, asking for forgiveness and forgiving others is not optional but a must, that is, whether they seek our forgiveness or not. It is upon the basis of God's forgiveness that we, who were once alienated from God, have been given the opportunity to be heirs with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Come to think about it, how else could we have paid for our own sins if God had not sent His Son to die in our place? Not that we had done anything to merit God's mercy. How often, in our own lives, have we come across people that seem so unforgivable? That is how we were to God. Our sins cost God the blood of His beloved Son. Indeed, nothing we could ever do will be sufficient to secure our own redemption. Nothing, but the blood of Jesus.

It is important for the Christian to understand that God's forgiveness of our sins is conditional. The following scriptures make that clear:

Mat 6:12 KJV  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Luk 6:37 KJV  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Mat 6:14-15 KJV  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  (15)  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 Col 3:13 KJV  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

 Let's read the following scriptures to put the above scriptures into perspective: 

Mat 18:21-35 KJV  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?  (22)  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.  (23)  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.  (24)  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  (25)  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  (26)  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  (27)  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.  (28)  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  (29)  And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  (30)  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.  (31)  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.  (32)  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  (33)  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  (34)  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  (35)  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

I believe Peter probably understood the principle of forgiveness, however, he was also concerned about forgiving continually and needed clarification from the Lord in order to guide himself. When Peter asked Jesus about how often to forgive, he also tried to suggest the number of times, but Jesus replied him and said seventy times seven (i.e. 490 times). This makes it clear, that as Christians, OUR FORGIVENESS of the wrongs done to us should be LIMITLESS. Further, Jesus, in his exposition, likens the kingdom of God to a king who must settle accounts with his servants. One particular servant owed so much and his inability to pay warranted the sale of his entire family, but the king had mercy on him because he begged for forgiveness. But what did he do? We read of how wicked he was to another fellow servant who owed him a minute amount, compared to what he owed the king. He then had his fellow servant thrown into prison until he pays him back in full. We may be likened to this wicked servant when we fail to forgive the wrongs done to us after the offender has shown true remorse, especially after we have been forgiven so much by God. Indeed, the last two verses, (34) and (35), are instructive for every child of God. If we fail to forgive from our hearts, the wrongs done to us by our fellow brothers, then we should expect that our heavenly Father will not forgive us our own sins. 

Aside receiving God's forgiveness for your own sins, there are enormous benefits for the Christian who forgives. I have come to learn that forgiving others releases us from unimaginable bondages and that is why as people who have received so much love from God we ought to extend such love by forgiving others sincerely from our hearts. 

Let me point out here that I do not suggest that if you find yourself in an abusive relationship, you should continually forgive and not seek help. That is a totally different situation. I have witnessed in my own life how people take advantage of the fact that we are Christians to manipulate us to forgive to their advantage but to our disadvantage. Definitely, FORGIVE, but that doesn't imply to put yourself in a situation to be continually abused. You must seek godly wisdom and counsel in situations that are abusive. YES, you MUST seek help if you continually find yourself being abused despite always being a forgiving person! On this basis, let's examine scriptures for the model of forgiveness provided by God Himself in the old testament, 2 Chronicles 7:14.

2Ch 7:14 KJV  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

For restoration, God, in His infinite mercy, requires that the offender turned from their wicked ways. This was similar to the response Jesus gave to Peter, specifically in Matthew 18:26, 27 above. The king was moved with compassion to forgive after the servant showed repentance. In the same way, until the abusive person shows complete remorse (and that often takes time and prayer to be sure of), you must be careful not to allow yourself to be put in a situation that can be jeopardizing. In such instances, the person must necessarily be willing to turn from their wicked ways and show such efforts.

God commands us to forgive our fellow brothers when they wrong us and they ask us to forgive them. May the Holy Spirit empower us to be able to forgive no matter how it hurts and give us wisdom to know the difference between what FORGIVENESS IS and what FORGIVENESS IS NOT.

God bless you for reading.